Area products kickstart season, careers with solid debuts

The college football season kicked off in earnest last weekend with a number of local products making their first collegiate start and some making their collegiate debut. Here’s a glimpse on how it unfolded:

• Nationally ranked Central Missouri suffered a 35-16 loss at home to Pittsburg State, although two Quincy High School products played a role in trying to stop the Gorillas.

Senior defensive lineman Zack Aschemann and senior outside linebacker Deven Smith both started with Smith serving as a team captain. Aschemann was named the No. 11 Mules’ defensive lineman of the week, while Smith received the Mule Shoe Award.

Freshman defensive lineman Weston King, an all-state product from Palmyra, Mo., made his college debut for the Mules.

• Quincy High School all-state and all-time leading rusher Jirehl Brock had two carries for 9 yards and a first down as Iowa State fought off Northern Iowa 16-10. The Cyclones managed 136 yards rushing as All-American tailback Breece Hall was limited to 69 yards.

• Garrett Drew, a redshirt freshman tight end at Quincy University and another QHS product, had two catches for 39 yards as the Hawks fell 48-27 to Midwestern State.

• Jonny Bottorff, a Quincy Notre Dame, also opened his season as the starting center as  he anchored the line for Missouri Western. The Griffons suffered a 24-20 loss at Central Oklahoma.

• Truman State opened its season with a 31-14 victory at Davenport as Quincy Notre Dame product Jack Marth had two tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss in his debut. The two-time all-stater is a freshman defensive end for the Bulldogs.

• Dylan Powell, an all-state lineman at Hannibal, Mo., opened his sixth season of college as the starting center for Indiana, but the Hoosiers struggled offensively and suffered a 34-6 loss to Iowa.

• Mark Twain product Dalton Hill started at right guard in fourth-ranked Northwest Missouri State’s 15-7 victory over Fort Hays State. The Bearcats rushed for 240 yards and averaged 4.7 yards per carry.